Chapter 18: Morohein

The other tunnel was void of eggs. It was still dark, as well as a bit cramped. I didn’t worry too much about the dark since lighting my sword was easy enough. What I did worry about, however, were the few traps sprawled inside it. My perception was pretty high, so I noticed the majority of them, but that didn’t mean I noticed all of them.

The tunnel’s walls started becoming more firm and smooth. It looked old, however. Beaten up, yet signs of work had definitely been done here. And proof of that was just a bit further as I spotted the faint outline of a pillar.

The pillar had been broken in three, evidence lying beside it. I continued past the pillar, more ruins up ahead appearing in my eyes.

[System Notice: You have discovered a secret within Floor 6. You have found the ‘Sundered City of Morohein’.]

Sundered City of—Morohein? But… I was a little caught off guard. This city, Morohein, was definitely a city which my party and I came across on Floor 15. I clearly remembered it as we had a quest involving it. Why is the city here and—why is it in ruins?

I walked through the ruined city, signs of destruction showing everywhere within the broken buildings. This place—completely in shambles.

I didn’t understand why it was here. Come to think of it, things have been different since coming to Hardcore. It was like its own game. I’ve progressed a lot more here than on both Normal and Easy.

I used {Area Scan}, though it wouldn’t encompass this city of ruins. Nothing came back. I looked around the ruins, searching in whatever ruin I could manage to get into, but found nothing. No loot for me. If there isn’t even anything here—why have it here? Is there an easter egg?

Stepping over the debris littering the ground as I made my way back and forth throughout the city, a reverberating roar abruptly pierced the drums of my ears. I rushed my hands to cover them, but I could feel it shaking my entire body. I couldn’t tell where the roar was coming from, but the ground suddenly shook as a beast landed upon a broken roof. I could barely make the beast out, and I hoped that it didn’t see me.

The roar continued and I decided to hide my body in a nearby building so it wouldn’t discover me, unless it already had. As I was about to move, I felt a thick killing intent come from behind me. I instantly activated {Shrouded Blink} as my whole body went alert.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even turn my head to look at whatever was creating that thick intent. I felt as if death was ever nearer. I suddenly realized my breath had even stopped. My body remained rigid, frozen to the spot.

[Sys—N—tttt: ]

The system started malfunctioning. I had no idea what was going on. I was cursing a million miles fast inside my head. I kept trying to move my head to see what was happening, but only my eyes moved, yet the peripheral vision not enough. My ears started bleeding as the roaring stopped, and instead a screech rang out from the beast.

Yet through that piercing screech, I could hear it. Words faint as a snowy breeze being spoken to me, the voice sonorous, “Go home, child.” The screeching stopped, replaced with the beating of wings. I was mistaken, the words of this mysterious voice not being meant for me.

I felt a pair of eyes land on me then. The killing intent which pervaded my entire being felt as it was being quelled. I fell to my knees, quickly scrambling toward the inner side of a ruin. I looked back toward the part of the path I had been on, but nothing was there.

Then, I heard the obscure sound of a weapon being unsheathed behind me. I quickly turned around, and there he stood. He pointed at me with a weapon adorned with dragons around the hilt. Sleek and long, it easily looked as if it required two hands to wield, yet he pointed it at me with but one. He wore armor of silver, yet you could easily tell it had been scorched. The plate appeared razed as chainmail was visible beneath the ruined areas. And upon his upper body hung a dark blue cloak, falling beneath his shoulders and shrouding his face as a helmet of silver protected his head.

“You—” His sonorous voice once again fell, “Touched not by one, but two, and yet not belonging to this world. Do not… come back here again.”

[Ssssy—em —ticcce: ]

I felt an aura of light quickly gather around me as I stood in fear. Everything turned white, pure. My eyes fell shut, and when I opened them—

I stood on more sand, yet a different sand than what had covered the vast desert. This sand was touched by water, as the flowing sound of an ocean could be heard behind me. An island.

[System Notice: Danger.]

[System Notice: Danger.]

[System Notice: You have been paralyzed due to fear. An entity a minimum of 30 levels higher is nearby.]

[System: Error.]

[System Notice: Danger.]

[System Notice: Floor 6 complete. You will be transfer- error.]

[System Notice: Floor 8 complete. You will be trans- error.]

[System Notice: Recalculating.]

[System Notice: Welcome to Floor 10’s starting- error.]

[System Notice: Recalculating.]

[System Notice: Failed to enter Floor 10’s starting point. Welcome to Floor 10. Warning: This floor is a boss floor.]

My ears still bleeding, I hunched over to grab my belly. My insides felt all torn up inside; I couldn’t bear to stand any longer. Vomit fell from my mouth as I made my way to the sand below me. My body continuously twitched, minutes passing as it remembered the encounter of what could only have been a grim reaper. I’ve died before, multiple times even. But never have I ever felt the death that wasn’t.

“What—what the fuck—” I grasped at the sand below my fingers. I was in total disbelief of what just happened. “Why—the hell—was something like that—” My mind was haywire. I couldn’t make heads or tails of anything happening. And to make matters worse...

The trees ahead of me began breaking away. I could hear loud snapping sounds, as I witnessed a tree be thrown. I tried getting up. My body felt devastated, but I managed to get off my knees into a short crouch as I held myself up with one hand. A stomping could be heard within the trees.

“Something—is coming—” I couldn’t quite catch my breath. “Shit…” Floor 10 was the same as my previous instances appearance wise. This would be my third time here.

“It’s… that fucker…” The boss the last two times was a vile ogre. I was able to kill it when I was an Alchemist, using various potions and flasks with my sling. It took a long time, but I was able to fell it. I couldn’t fight it here, not now at least. I wasn’t feeling at my best at all. Plus, I had my back towards an ocean. It wouldn’t be good at all.

I began hobbling to the right, in hopes of not encountering the ogre. But of course those hopes would be crushed. It came out from the jungle, bellowing loudly as it held a broken tree in its hand. Though, something was different about this one. It had two heads.

[Twin-headed Ogre, Raash Miira Guugi, the Keeper, Lv16]

It was nine levels higher than me. My level was still only seven, and I shouldn’t be here on Floor 10 yet. I’ve been screwed. Raash Miira Guugi continued out of the jungle, with me in its sight. Its bellowing continued as it dragged that thick tree behind it. It grabbed another tree as it left, and tossed it with no fragility whatsoever. My body began moving, blood flowing throughout, trying to flush the touch of death within me out. I jumped out of the way, my entire body colliding with the sand as the tree flew past me.

“Fuck.” The air rushed out of me. I clambered up as I continued. “I… need time…” My breath still ragged, I began running. The ogre with two heads broke into a laugh as its step grew quite extended, charging at me.

I knew that if I took one hit, even if I guarded against it with my ‘Kite of Biding Eruption’, that I would die. I’ve died here before, with the ogre being one headed and lower level. I couldn’t take an attack. I really needed time. I needed to gather my thoughts.

It quickly gained on me, sweeping the giant tree limb towards me. With no other choice, I activated {Shrouded Blink}. “SCREW—YOU—” I blinked behind it, confusing this stupid ogre.

“Sleep!” I used {Sudden Slumber}, putting Raash Miira Guugi asleep. ‘Zzz’ appeared, and I knew I succeeded. For how long—I didn’t know. But with my increased attributes, the cooldown for {Sudden Slumber} capped at a crisp one minute and thirty seconds.

I took off into the jungle, hoping to have enough time to recollect myself, as I wanted to do nothing but forget what happened in Morohein. I had many questions I wanted the answers for. I lost out on three floors of experience, and I was behind in the game once again. I thought I grew a foothold, powerful enough to stand my ground. Yet here I was, death breathing down my back.

And I was sick and tired of it. I needed to get stronger, faster, and survive to grow even stronger so I wouldn’t feel death breathing down my back. I made it into the jungle, and I kept going. I didn’t know when the twin-headed ogre would awaken, but when it did—I needed to be ready for it.

I pulled out an ‘Upgrade Jewel’ from my inventory, staring at it. Whether this would increase the requirements of my gear, or if it would keep the negation due to {Spin!}, would all depend on my luck.